Arctic awesomeness

Ever since I was a small child I've traveled the 1000 km up north annually. Most of the times to visit my relatives with my family. To me it's been a place of freedom, to relax, stay up late at night and have fun. My latest trip was no exception to the latter.

My good friend Johannes lives in Tromsø with his wife Live where they have a small apartment. The large windows make up for the small space, viewing the harbour and the coast mountains. Anywho the day after my arrival we packed our backpacks and headed to the inland mountains just by the border of Sweden and Finland. On the way up to the cabin we had gotten distracted and it was getting dark fast, there had been no time for supper either. We stopped at a gas station to pay the hunting license and found to our great surprise they were having some kind of campaign and were giving away free hot dog meals. When we finally parked the car the darkness was ubiquitous and the next 3,5 hours or 11 km we walked in total darkness. The cabin was spacious and had all the utilities needed for a good base camp. We lit a fire in the oven and went to sleep. Around 3 in the morning I woke up feeling it hard to breath and I was soaking wet. The warmth was unbearable, I opened a window and I felt a flow of fresh air eas up my breathing. We left this sauna for one of the other bedrooms with a more human sleeping temperature.

The next days we started the day walking to where the three line start to find the areas where the grouse was likely to be. Walking win the shotgun ready to lift up and aim is while covering great distances makes two hunters hungry. Stopping once and again filling up on peanuts and chocolate. Walking in beautiful surroundings is much better than the ordinary stroll in the park kind of walk. If we stopped and listened we would only hear the wind and when the wind let go nothing else put silence. No people, cars, roads to see anywhere around us. Sadly we could say the same about the grouse, an absent we had to make stop.

Suddenly we see two birds flying up at a far distance, and a grin fill both of our faces. Carefully determined we sneak towards where the birds landed. We are ready, the Adrenalin starts pumping, focus is 100% and PANG. Johannes shot one of the birds the second one lands close by and I see my chance. I walk towards it with my gun held high aiming at where it landed. My heart is beating so hard It's like I can hear it. Suddenly, on a rock I see it. It's watching me coming closer, stretches the neck and prepares a flight. But before it could lift a wing I pulled the trigger and I had shot my first grouse.

London on my own

In many ways I am a realist. I am able to think of the most things that are likely to come my way where ever I am headed. My experience tells me so. Having this quality I am not the easiest person to surprise. Last month it was a quarter of a century since I came to this world. And to my great surprise I got a birthday gift I had no idea about. I was so lucky to get a weekend in London, UK. I was thrilled, it felt great to get such a pleasant surprise. The only downside, you might say, was that it would be on my own.

I admit the tickling in the stomach when finally at the airport ready to leave never seems to give in. Mainly business people are on the flight with me, it strengthen the feeling of traveling by my self. Finding the Norwegian YMCA is easy, especially since I got a little help from my new GPS phone. And what a neighbourhood, I see embassies, fancy cars and clean streets. I am given a warm welcome, one of the staff is giving me a tour of this 5 storey house. The ceiling is stretching high above my head and I immediately get a feeling of exclusivity. I've shown to a room with 4 beds. This will be my place to sleep and rest the next 3 days. Included in the good price they serve breakfast, lunch and supper. Some of the staff are young Norwegians working here for a year, they are friendly and very including. This is a place easy to meet and get to know new people.

Exploring London is a project of unlimited time. What to see and what to do in just three days? One of the first activities I did was walking, I walked from one famous place to another. London Eye, Westminister Abbey, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Tower Bridge. It was quite the stroll. After that I was leaving most of the travelling to the excellent London public transportation. I'm quite amazed by all the people walking Oxford street, not even the streets of Beijing is crowded like this. A friend of my family took time to show me around the area around Piccadilly Circus, having seen the great malls we had both a very nice dinner and wonderful muffins for dessert.

London gives great diversity across the city, from the city center to the not so nice Southwark neighbourhood, to the fancy business area Canary Wharf and to green and cosy Greenwich. I spent a long afternoon in Greenwich walking the park and visiting the free museums. Studying geomatics gives me a certain good reason to visit the Royal Observatory at Greenwich where the main meridian lays. The old markeds where they sell anything handmade from food to paintings really satisfied my need for local arts and cusine. There are many more things I want to see and do in London so this was definitely not the last time.

Holland Park Neighbourhood

St James Park

London Eye

Me and two great people from the YMCA staff

Holland Park

The world largest painting on a ceiling in Greenwich

Greenwhich Park

Royal Observatory, Greenwich

Wild Berries

The sky is dark grey and it is as small streams are coming down pondering to the ground. There is a cold breeze coming from the window. The drag from the air smells like morning. It's time to get up although all I really want is to stay in bed and sleep. I think I could sleep for a week or even more. I keep thinking of all the happy and good experiences happening during the last years. It's been so good...

One of the things I like to do is to hike in the wilderness. This time I had just spent too much time at home and needed to get away. By myself I packed the backpack with the things I need for a good day out. Finding the first and best place to make some food I started up the burner, put the pan on and poured the pancake mix in it. Nothing tastes as good as outdoors. Sitting enjoying the view, the smell of fresh pancakes and picking blueberry and cranberry for desert. I am glad I can enjoy nature on my own. Feel the distress coming over me and everything is in my paste. But I can also feel the urge to share this feeling, this moment. It's so wonderful, energy is refilled and it's hard not to smile. Up here there are no worries.

Summer Part II - Beautiful British Columbia

Long Beach, Tofino

Long Beach at low tide

My summer ended suddenly on a friday. Driving back to university, moving in to a new place, getting a new bed, TV and a roommate was done in less than a day. My first lecture started monday morning, going through the curricullum was a whole lot of fun. At first i was more bummed being back at school and see my summer had flown by without me really noticing. When i started to focus my attention on what the lecturer went through it hit me, I've been through all this before. And before the day was over i had transfered my credits from BCIT to my university. Summer holiday part II had just started.

The next thing i new I had ordered tickets to Vancouver to visit my girlfriend and to spend my last holiday with her. The message was of course greated with happiness and just one and a half day later i was on the plane. From the rain of Norway came the sunshine of Vancouver. This last weekend we did leave the sunshine for the rain of Vancouver Islands west coast. Brad, Shadi, Milan and me would finally go surfing the long sandy beaches in the Pacific Rim National Park. An area treathened by tsunamis and endless storms in the winter. We were blessed with a campsite in the crowded long weekend. With delicous meals and hard card games, the sun set came, and went. Surfing day was the wettest of them all, we were soaked before we even reached the ocean. Getting on the board and padling ways out was hard, big sand crushing waves came running, one after the other. Suddenly I was taken in great speed by one of them. Like sliding on fast ice, I kept getting more speed. And then I would stand up and stand for a long two seconds and fall into the ocean with a huge smile. Wow. What a feeling. I think this feeling was caught by all of us. As we progressed throughout the day, the joy would be stronger and the bodys a little bit more worn out. At the end of the day was limping and wounded persons leaving the beach.

Me catching a small wave

Me, Brad and Shadi


Mi Lan and me

Hva skjer nå!?

Her kommer en liten oppdatering på hva som har skjedd de siste ukene.

Johannes har akkurat vært på besøk her borte. Vi har vært på skikkelig langtur fra seattle til san francisco -yosemite, death valley, joshua three og grand canyon national park. Vi var innom las vegas, hoover dam, phoenix, mexico, san diego og LA. Akkurat nå er Otto og Arne på besøk. Vi skal på surfe- og kajakktur på vancouver island. Det er kun to uker igjen her borte. Tiden har virkelig flydd av sted. Ellers er det et og anna som har tatt mye av min tid her borte, og i den forbindelse blir kanskje en tur til kina i sommer=)

Mt.Baker; Bedre enn best

Nå skulle jeg ønske jeg hadde reist til Mt. Baker før. Jeg og Kari dro opp tidlig om morgenen, ventet en halvtime i kø for å komme over til USA og så 1,5 timer med kjøring innover og oppover i landet. Det var en passe lang kø i heisen da vi kom fram, mest fordi det var påskeeggjakt. Her skulle man kjøre rundt i skianlegget og lete etter egg lagt av de ansatte. I eggene kunne man få t-skjorer, godteri, nye ski, snowboard og diverse. Ganske kult. Vi bestemte oss for å lete i begynnelsen, men ga fort opp da vi så hvor mange som lette og hvor vanskelig det var å finne. I det vi hadde bestemt oss for dette suser det en egglegger forbi oss og vi finner fort 10 nye egg tilsammen. Desverre inneholdt de ikke mer enn godteri og ei t-skjorte, men vi var i grunn veldig fornøyd med oss sjøl. Forholdene i bakken var gode med oppvarmet nysnø... det ble kjøring i t-skjorte i løpet av dagen. Dette er et herlig fjell, med en god avslappet stemning og meget godt toppturterreng. Skal du noen gang hit, kan du ta med meg og??
Mt. Shuksan eller liksom Mt. Baker Nydelig toppturområde
Påskeegg konkurranse

Vårstemning i Vancouver

Norsk lunsj med Caroline og Katharina
Passaten i blomstring
Milan nyter godlukten
Påskelilje